Ignition system



May 1,3S34i A. REHM ET AL 9 IGNITION SYSTEM Filed July 5, 1951.

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UNITED STATES IGNITION SYSTEM Alfred Rehm, Walter Dom, and Eugen Lang, Stuttgart, Germany, assignors to Robert Bosch Aktiengesellschaft, Stuttgart, Germany Application lIuly s, 1931, Serial No. 549,054 In Germany August 4, 1930 6 Claims. (01. 123-448) The present invention relates to ignition systerns.

In a known ignition system which operates with high frequency and is used for internal combustion engines the high frequency is produced and utilized in that the current, is periodically broken in an induction coil. the low tension winding of a high frequency transformer being connected in parallel to the make and break 10 device. The high tension winding of the transformer then feeds the spark gaps to be operated, for example sparking plugs of an internal combustion engine.

Experiments have shown that an ignition systom of this type operates noticeably more reliably when a spark gap which is suitably adjustable is connected in parallel to the make and break device.

The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates two forms of construction of the invention by way of example and in which:-

Figure 1 is a diagram of connections of a suitable circuit.

Figure 2 is the same circuit but with the sparking gap enclosed in a container.

In the drawing 11 represents a battery, 0 an inductance coil, and b a make and break device which is operated by a suitable drive in time with the working strokes of the internal combustion engine. The low tension winding d of a high frequency transformer is connected in parallel to the make and break device in known manner in series with a condenser.

One end of the high tension winding e of this transformer is connected to the low tension Winding d whilst the other end is connected to the rotating brush of a hightension distributor f. Each one of the poles of a sparking plug g is connected in the usual manner to earth whilst the other pole is connected to each of the four segments of this distributor.

According to the invention a sparking gap h the length of which is adjustable is connected in parallel to the make and break device b.

In the form of construction shown in Figure 2 a spark gap 111. is enclosed in a gas-tight sealed container 12 which is filled with such a gas and under such pressure that thespacing of the electrodes for the sparking gap can be made greater than would be the case if the gap were formed in air at atmospheric pressure. It has been shown that the known ignition system will operate more reliably by this. The sparking gap operating in a container which is filled with air at a reduced pressure has the advantage that it is less subject to influence by the edge deterioration of the electrodes or the transference of the contact metal and similar phenomena, than a sparking gap operating in the atmosphere the length of which gap must be comparatively short.

We declare that what we claim is:

1. An ignition system for use with internal combustion engines comprising a plurality of cylinders each having a spark plug, a distributor for said spark plugs, an electric source of supply, an inductance coil and a make and break device both in series with said electric source of supply, a low tension winding of a high frequency trans-1 former and a condenser in series and both in parallel with said make and break device, and a spark gap connected in parallel across said make and break device.

2. An ignition system for use with internal combustion engines comprising a plurality of cylinders each having a spark plug, a distributor for spark plugs, an electric source of supply, an inductance coil and a make and break deviceboth in series with said electric source of supply, a low tension winding of a high frequency transformer and a condenser in series and both in parallel with said make and break device, and a spark gap adjustable as to its length and connected in parallel across said make and break device.

3. An ignition system for use with internal combustion engines comprising an electric source of supply, a make and break device in series with said electric source of supply, a low tension winding of a high frequency transformer, and a condenser in series and both in parallel with said make and break device, a spark gap across said make and break device, an airtight container enclosing said spark gap and at least one spark plug operated by said ignition system.

4. An ignition system for use with internal combustion engines comprising an electric source of supply, a make and break device in series with said electric source of supply, a low tension wind-. ing of a high frequency transformer, and a condenser in series and both in parallel with said make and break device, a spark gap across said make and break device, an airtight container enclosing said spark gap and filled with gas at a pressure lower than atmosphere and at least one spark plug operated by said ignition system.

5. An ignition system forluse with internal combustion engines comprising an electric source of, supply, a make-and-break device in series with said electric source of supply, a low tension winding of a high frequency transformer and a make-and-break device, a spark gap adjustable as to its length and connected in parallel across,

ing of a high frequency transformer and a concondenser in series and both in parallel with saiddenser in series and both in parallel with said make-and-break device, a spark gap adjustable as to, its length and connected in parallel across said make and-break device, an air-tight container enclosing said. spark gap and filled with gas at a pressure lower than atmosphere, and at least one spark plug operated by said ignition system.

ALFRED REHM. WALTER DORN. EUGEN LANG. 

